The present technology relates to a solid-state imaging device, a driving method, and an electronic apparatus that can suppress a decrease in signal reading speed of the solid-state imaging device. A solid-state imaging device according to a first aspect of the present technology includes a pixel array unit in which a plurality of pixels is arrayed, a signal processing unit configured to perform a signal process including at least A/D conversion on a noise signal and a data signal read from the pixel, and a memory unit configured to retain a signal obtained in the signal process, in which the signal processing unit records the noise signal obtained from a predetermined frame in the memory unit, and performs the signal process of the data signal obtained from a frame after the predetermined frame by using the noise signal recorded in the memory unit.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A solid-state imaging device, comprising: a memory unit; a pixel array unit including an array of a plurality of pixels; and a first signal processing unit configured to: read a noise signal and a first data signal from a pixel of the plurality of pixels; perform a first signal process, wherein the first signal process includes a first analog to digital (A/D) conversion of the noise signal and the first data signal; record a signal in the memory unit, wherein the recorded signal corresponds to a result of the first A/D conversion of the noise signal and the first data signal, and the recorded signal includes the result of the first A/D conversion of the noise signal obtained from a first frame; read a second data signal from the pixel of the plurality of pixels; and perform a second signal process based on the result of the first A/D conversion of the noise signal, wherein the second signal process includes a second A/D conversion of the second data signal obtained from a second frame that is subsequent to the first frame.
2. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of photoelectric conversion units in a region of each of the plurality of pixels of the pixel array unit.
3. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the first signal processing unit is further configured to periodically switch a driving process between a first driving process to perform the first A/D conversion of each of the noise signal and the first data signal and a second driving process to perform the second A/D conversion of the second data signal.
4. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 3 , wherein the first signal processing unit is further configured to periodically switch the driving process in units of frames.
5. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 4 , wherein the first signal processing unit is further configured to perform the first driving process every time the second driving process is performed for a plurality of frames.
6. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 3 , wherein the first signal processing unit is further configured to periodically switch the driving process in units of lines.
7. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 6 , wherein the first driving process is associated with a first line of the units of lines at same location in successive frames of a plurality of frames, and the second driving process is associated with a second line of the units of lines in the successive frames of the plurality of frames.
8. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 3 , further comprising a second signal processing unit configured to perform a third signal process on the recorded signal.
9. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 8 , wherein the third signal process includes at least one of a defect correction process, a noise reduction process, or a high dynamic range (HDR) process.
10. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 9 , wherein a processing rate of each of the first signal process, the second signal process, and the third signal process is identical.
11. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 2 , wherein the memory unit is configured to record the signal in units of frames.
12. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the solid-state image device has a laminated chip structure.
13. A driving method, comprising: in a solid-state imaging device: that includes a signal processing unit, a memory unit, and a pixel array unit having an array of a plurality of pixels: reading a noise signal and a first data signal from a pixel of the plurality of pixels; performing, by the signal processing unit, a first signal process, wherein the first signal process includes a first analog to digital (A/D) conversion of the noise signal and the first data signal; recording, by the signal processing unit, a signal in the memory unit, wherein the recorded signal corresponds to a result of the first A/D conversion of the noise signal and the first data signal, and the recorded signal includes the result of the first A/D conversion of the noise signal obtained from a first frame; and reading a second data signal from the pixel of the plurality of pixels; and performing, by the signal processing unit, a second signal process based on the result of the first A/D conversion of the noise signal, wherein the second signal process includes to including a second A/D conversion of the second data signal obtained from a second frame that is subsequent to the first frame.
14. An electronic apparatus, comprising: a solid-state imaging device including: a memory unit; a pixel array unit including an array of a plurality of pixels; and a signal processing unit configured to: read a noise signal and a first data signal from a pixel of the plurality of pixels; perform a first signal process, wherein the first signal process includes a first analog to digital (A/D) conversion of the noise signal and the first data signal; record a signal in the memory unit, wherein the recorded signal corresponds to a result of the first A/D conversion of the noise signal and the first data signal, and wherein the recorded signal includes the result of the first A/D conversion of the noise signal obtained from a first frame; read a second data signal from the pixel of the plurality of pixels; and perform a second signal process based on the result of the first A/D conversion of the noise signal, wherein the second signal process includes a second A/D conversion of the second data signal obtained from a second frame that is subsequent to the first frame.
15. A solid-state imaging device, comprising: a first semiconductor substrate including an array of a plurality of pixels; a second semiconductor substrate including an analog to digital (A/D) conversion unit configured to: read a signal from a pixel of the plurality of pixels; and perform a first A/D conversion and a second A/D conversion of the read signal; and a third semiconductor substrate including a memory unit, wherein the first semiconductor substrate, the second semiconductor substrate, and the third semiconductor substrate are laminated in three layers, the first semiconductor substrate is in an uppermost layer of the three layers, the read signal includes: a noise signal and a first data signal obtained from a first frame, and a second data signal obtained from a second frame that is subsequent to the first frame, the A/D conversion unit is further configured to perform the first A/D conversion of the first data signal and the noise signal, the memory unit is configured to record a result of the first A/D conversion of the noise signal, the result of the first A/D conversion of the noise signal is obtained from the first frame, and perform the second A/D conversion based on the second data signal and the result of the first A/D conversion of the noise signal.
16. A driving method, comprising: in a solid-state imaging device that includes: a first semiconductor substrate including an array of a plurality of pixels; a second semiconductor substrate including an analog to digital (A/D) conversion unit configured to: read a signal from a pixel of the plurality of pixels; and perform a first A/D conversion and a second A/D conversion of the read signal; and a third semiconductor substrate including a memory unit, wherein the first semiconductor substrate, the second semiconductor substrate, and the third semiconductor substrate are laminated in three layers, the first semiconductor substrate is in an uppermost layer of the three layers, and the read signal includes: a noise signal and a first data signal obtained from a first frame; and a second data signal obtained from a second frame that is subsequent to the first frame, the driving method comprising: performing, by the A/D conversion unit, the first A/D conversion of the first data signal and the noise signal; recording, in the memory unit, a result of the first A/D conversion of the noise signal, wherein the result of the first A/D conversion of the noise signal is obtained from the first frame; and performing, by the A/D conversion unit, the second A/D conversion based on the second data signal and the result of the first A/D conversion of the noise signal.
17. An electronic apparatus, comprising: a solid-state imaging device including: a first semiconductor substrate including an array of a plurality of pixels; a second semiconductor substrate including an analog to digital (A/D) conversion unit configured to: read a signal from a pixel of the plurality of pixels; and perform a first A/D conversion and a second A/D conversion of the read signal; and a third semiconductor substrate including a memory unit, wherein the first semiconductor substrate, the second semiconductor substrate, and the third semiconductor substrate are laminated in three layers, the first semiconductor substrate is in an uppermost layer of the three layers, the read signal includes: a noise signal and a first data signal obtained from a first frame, and a second data signal a second frame that is subsequent to the first frame, the A/D conversion unit is further configured to perform the first A/D conversion of based first data signal and the noise signal, the memory unit is configured to record a result of the first A/D conversion of the noise signal, the result of the first A/D conversion of the noise signal is obtained from the first frame, and perform the second A/D conversion based on the second data signal and the result of the first A/D conversion of the noise signal.
18. A solid-state imaging device, comprising: a memory unit; a pixel array unit including an array of a plurality of pixels; and a first signal processing unit configured to: perform a first signal process including a first analog to digital (A/D) conversion of a noise signal and a first data signal read from a pixel of the plurality of pixels; record a signal obtained as a result of the first A/D conversion in the memory unit, wherein the recorded signal includes the noise signal obtained from a first frame; perform a second signal process including a second A/D conversion of a second data signal obtained from a second frame subsequent to the first frame, wherein the second A/D conversion is based on the noise signal of the first frame recorded in the memory unit; and periodically switch between a first driving process to perform the first A/D conversion of each of the noise signal and the first data signal and a second driving process to perform the second A/D conversion of the second data signal, wherein the switch between the first driving process and the second driving process is periodically performed in units of lines, the first driving process is applied to a first line of the units of lines at same location in successive frames of a plurality of frames, and the second driving process is applied to a second line of the units of lines in the successive frames of the plurality of frames.
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April 27, 2018
December 14, 2021
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